Today’s picture of the release of oil in the Gulf of Mexico since the containment cap has been removed – (from ABC news)

This image from video provided by BP PLC early Wednesday, June 23, 2010 shows oil continuing to gush…

This image from video provided by BP PLC early Wednesday, June 23, 2010 shows oil continuing to gush from the broken wellhead, at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. The Coast Guard said Wednesday that BP has been forced to remove a cap that was containing some of the oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico.

(BP PLC/AP Photo)

New Setback in Effort to Contol BP Oil Spill

The containment cap has been in place over the well since early June, about 50 miles south of the Louisiana coast. It had been channeling over 16,000 barrels per day to a surface vessel. Anywhere from 67 million to 127 million gallons have spilled since the April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon.

U.S. has received additional offers of foreign assistance in the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill/Qatar has offered containment booms/Sweden has followed up on an earlier offer to include skimmers – from June 15, 2010 State Department briefing (listed on post just before this one – I need to find a list of what all the countries have offered – that would be very interesting. – cd9)

***

From Today –

Coal mine owner sues federal government over ventilation regulations

By the CNN Wire Staff

June 23, 2010 9:57 a.m. EDT

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Massey owns mine where 29 workers died in April

Company says agency overstepped its authority

Design of ventilation systems at issue

Use of scrubbers also at issue

(CNN) — Massey Energy Company, which owns a West Virginia coal mine in which 29 workers died in April, has sued the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration over ventilation regulations, the company said Wednesday.

The company is suing over the agency’s use of regulatory authority to control the design of ventilation systems and to limit the use of scrubbers in underground mines.

“We hope the principal beneficiary will be miners, who will have cleaner air, safer mines and more secure jobs,” Massey CEO Don Blankenship said in a statement.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Washington, contends the federal agency exceeded its regulatory authority to enforce mine safety and health laws by effectively dictating the ventilation plan for each mine.

That’s what I said yesterday when that ninny judge in New Orleans decided that the US government has no right to manage the safety and other issues involved in the oil drilling and consequently by precedent of his decision – mining operations and the leases of these oil and minerals operations. This means that Republican appointed judge gave away the rights of the American people and the US government in our interests to oversight of these facilities.

Bloomberg showed Commndr Thad Allen announcing that two deaths have occurred today in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill event and its cleanup – one was on a vessel of opportunity and one was a swimming accident. I’m going to go look up those two.

– cricketdiane (my note)

***

(also – )

the containment cap has been removed – check the pictures on bloomberg right now – unbelievable.

After more than two months of oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico, the spread continues to impact marine life. NOAA was recently opened some of the fisheries in the region, but had to expand the closures once again. The tally on marine deaths continues to mount, and a reporter took his camera into the shallow waters to find that sharks are being forced closer to the shore where there is a better supply of oxygen. That video report can be found below.

Cap removed from leaking BP oil well

The Coast Guard says BP has been forced to remove a cap that was containing some of the oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico.

Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen says an underwater robot bumped into the venting system. That sent gas rising through vent that carries warm water down to prevent ice-like crystals from forming in the cap.

Adm. Allen says the cap has been removed and crews are checking to see if crystals have formed before putting it back on. In the meantime, a different system is stilling burning oil on the surface.

Before the problem with the containment cap, it had collected about 700,000 gallons of oil in the previous 24 hours. Another 438,000 gallons was burned.

Related News

The federal judge who overturned the Obama administration‘s deepwater drilling ban in the Gulf of Mexico reportedly has extensive investments in the energy industry, financial disclosure reports reveal.

Transocean owned the Deepwater Horizon rig that exploded April 20, killing 11 workers and triggering the worst oil spill disaster in U.S. history, with as much as 127 million gallons of oil leaked into the Gulf of Mexico.

Feldman’s other financial investments from the 2008 report include Halliburton, which was also involved with the Deepwater Horizon.

“If some drilling equipment parts are flawed, is it rational to say all are? Are all airplanes a danger because one was? All oil tankers like Exxon Valdez? All trains? All mines? That sort of thinking seems heavy-handed, and rather overbearing,” Feldman wrote.

Feds Halt Sand Berms Off Gulf Coast

Chaos Still Rules

The chaos along the Gulf Coast, caused mainly by the vacillation of the federal government, continues apace. The Fish and Wildlife Service has now stopped the building of sand berms designed to protect the Gulf Coast from the oil leak.

“The federal government is shutting down the dredging that was being done to create protective sand berms in the Gulf of Mexico.

“The berms are meant to protect the Louisiana coastline from oil. But the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department has concerns about where the dredging is being done.”

The federal government has suddenly decided that the sand berm needs to be built two miles farther from the coast.

Two months into the BP oil leak disaster, this development, along with the incident involving the Coast Guard and oil skimming barges, suggests that the Gulf Coast operation is still in chaos, with no one and everyone in charge, and various federal bureaucracies and state governments tripping over one another and getting in each others’ way.

In the meantime, the oil leak continues to pump millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane season has begun, with the nightmarish prospect of a large storm blowing oiled waters far inland adding to the ordinary destruction that a hurricane usually causes.

BP Oil Leak: Fallen Deepwater Horizon was Tapping Second Largest Oil Deposit in the World

BP oil leak: Fallen Deepwater Horizon was tapping second largest oil deposit in the world

The real answer is – more than anyone wants to admit, because the well holds enough oil to make Saudi Arabian drillers jealous.

The oil field the Deepwater Horizon had tapped is said to be the second largest deposit in the world. Viewzone.com reports, “The site covers an estimated 25,000 square miles, extending from the inlands of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Texas. ”

The oil deposit is so large, it could produce 500,000 barrels of a day for more than a decade.

Part of the reason the well exploded is because the site also contains large deposits of natural gas.

Speculation as to why BP has tried to hide the amount of oil spilling may be two-fold. There are legal issues and lawsuits in the works. The less said by BP now, the better it may play out for them in the future. The other, more alarming aspect, is the event of total wellhead failure before relief wells are completed in August.

Considering the size of the deposit, if BP loses control of the flow completely, the scope of the disaster would be unfathomable.

The New York Times has reported that scientists suspect the leak is thousands of times larger than what BP has been reporting. Some estimates are as high as one million gallons a day.

Rock particles, gas and oil escaping under pressure are pushing against the capstone on the sea floor that surrounds the actual well. If it collapses, the canyon of oil will escape with a vengeance.Neither BP nor anyone else wants to say what will happen it the wellhead gives way or the sea floor around it caves in. All anyone is certain of is that the worst case scenario is the one everyone wants to avoid.

More oil flows into Gulf of Mexico after accident

Image Caption: Oil is burned off the surface of the water near the source of the Deepwater Horizon spill (reuters_tickers)

By Kristen Hays and Ayesha Rascoe
HOUSTON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Oil gushed largely unchecked from BP’s ruptured Gulf of Mexico well on Wednesday after a collision involving an undersea robot halted efforts to contain the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

While the energy giant struggled to restart its oil collection operation, a top Obama administration official told lawmakers in Washington that initial findings showed “reckless conduct” in the days leading up to the April 20 explosion that blew up an offshore oil rig and ruptured the well.

BP also faced the threat of a new lawsuit from investors angry over the halving of its stock price since the start of the crisis.

The U.S. Coast Guard meanwhile reported the deaths of two workers helping to clean up the oil spill.

The deaths were unrelated to the collision between an undersea robot and the containment cap system, which channels leaking oil from BP’s blown-out well to a ship on the surface.

Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, the Obama administration’s point man for the oil spill, told reporters the containment cap system could restart later on Wednesday after safety checks.

He said the flow of oil from the well was not completely unchecked. Some was still being burnt off on the surface.

The containment cap system installed on June 3 captured 16,600 barrels on Tuesday, BP said. A separate oil-flaring system that collected 10,5000 barrels is still operating. A team of U.S. scientists estimate the leak is spewing up to 60,000 barrels a day.

In Washington, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said he would soon issue a new ban on deepwater drilling off the U.S. coast that would be more flexible than the moratorium overturned a day earlier by a federal judge in New Orleans.

He said the ban would include criteria detailing when the ban, originally six months, would end. It might allow oil companies to drill in certain low-risk areas.

“We will in the weeks and months ahead take a look at how it is that the moratorium in place might be refined,” he told a Senate sub-committee.

Salazar did not indicate when he would reissue the ban.

He also said that preliminary investigations showed there was reckless behaviour involved in the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion in which 11 workers were killed.

However, he did not single out any company. BP leased the rig from Transocean and was a part owner in the ruptured well with Anadarko.

BP, already battling lawsuits and a criminal investigation, faced the threat of new legal action on Wednesday after New York Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said the state pension fund planned to sue to recover losses from the drop in the company’s stock price.

By Long Island Press on Jun 23rd, 2010 Social microblogging site Twitter began erupting with reports of an earthquake early this afternoon, as users from …

5.5 earthquake in Ottawa, Canada – very shallow? 10 miles from the surface according to CNN right now. Hm…..

Is that something they do there? But they have had some very funky sinkholes lately, including that one which swallowed a house and the family in it. That seems odd though.

I guess its a thing. Add it to the list –

– cricketdiane

***

This image from video provided by BP PLC early Wednesday, June 23, 2010 shows oil continuing to gush…

This image from video provided by BP PLC early Wednesday, June 23, 2010 shows oil continuing to gush from the broken wellhead, at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. The Coast Guard said Wednesday that BP has been forced to remove a cap that was containing some of the oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico.

(BP PLC/AP Photo)

New Setback in Effort to Contol BP Oil Spill

The containment cap has been in place over the well since early June, about 50 miles south of the Louisiana coast. It had been channeling over 16,000 barrels per day to a surface vessel. Anywhere from 67 million to 127 million gallons have spilled since the April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon.

Well, this part has some good info – but the fact is that the statement in it saying the oil hasn’t expanded since the rig fell into the ocean is bullshit. They need to look at some maps.

– cricketdiane

(from the above article on page two)

Images from NASA satellites and surveys by NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, show that the oil slick has spread over much of the northern Gulf of Mexico, but has not greatly expanded since the first weeks after the Deepwater Horizon sank. Oil has been reported in the wetlands of the Mississippi delta at the southern tip of Louisiana, and tarballs have been found on the beaches of southern Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle.

ABC News Radio and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

***

They must think we are all fools and idiots. Where do they get the people who say things like that?

Sticky mousse reaches Pensacola shores (PHOTOS)

PENSACOLA — Heavy tar balls were reported washing ashore Wednesday on Pensacola area beaches and mousse, a far nastier form of oil residue, was being reported offshore.

“That’s the sticky, real thin stuff,” Okaloosa County Public Safety Director Dino Villani said when asked to describe mousse.

Kelly Cooke, a spokeswoman for Escambia County, confirmed at noon that a “heavy” coating of tar balls were washing ashore on beaches west of the Pensacola Pier. She said she had no reports of mousse making it to shore.

She said she believed the latest influx of Deepwater Horizon oil residue had reached Florida’s beaches overnight.

The reports of mousse come on a day when Okaloosa County officials are slated to meet with DEP Secretary Mike Sole and United States Coast Guard Capt. Steve Poulin.

The county’s effort to install an air curtain that could help keep oil out of the Destin Pass and Choctawhatchee Bay has been halted until British Petroleum, the company responsible for the spill, comes forward with the money needed to pay for it, Villani said.

Earlier this week, county officials expressed their concern about BP’s failure to release needed funds to U.S. Senator Bill Nelson and Florida State Senate President Jeff Atwater. Both men said they’d look into the issue.

Villani said the issue would be addressed again today.

Villani said Jay Prothro, BP’s Okaloosa County representative, has provided vague assurances that the $200,000 needed to install the air curtain and $16,500 a day to operate it would eventually be allocated.

Prothro was not immediately available for comment.

Villani said barges have been staged at the entrance to the pass and will be used to block it and prevent oil from entering when it becomes necessary to do so.

Proposals to place experimental slip curtains and steel booms in the pass are not being acted on at this time, Villani said.

All of the extra measures are being taken to supplement booms that have been set up in the pass.

The Pensacola News Journal reported that hundreds showed up at Penscola Beach Wednesday morning to see the devastating influx of oil.

“This is one of the worst things I’ve ever seen; this is totally devastating,” Gary de Shazo told the News Journal as he pointed toward a 10-foot-long wave of oil approaching the white sands of Casino Beach. “I never imagined it would be like this.”

The News Journal reported slicks of oil 10 feet long and four feet wide had washed ashore near the fishing pier.

Santa Rosa County Island Authority Public Safety Director Bob West advised the public to stay out of the water and away from the shoreline and to not impede the BP workers on the beach.

(These were on their website – I didn’t check them to make sure they are completely above board – so do that. I’m still trying to find more information on the things that have happened today. And, I will check them later and remove them if they aren’t right. So, be wary please. my note, cd9)

***

Citizen Science: Count the Gulf’s Ghost Crabs

While the oil disaster’s terrible toll on birds and turtles will at least be measured, less charismatic creatures tend to be ignored. That’s why conservationists are organizing a citizen science project to count the Gulf Coast’s ghost crabs.

Also known as sand crabs, they’re not classically cute, but they’re an important part of coastal food webs. Because the crabs are relatively easy to spot, it’s possible for people to help scientists estimate their numbers, providing baseline counts for comparison against future surveys.

“A lot of people are speculating that this spill could have severe effects on marine invertebrates,” said Drew Wheelan, a conservation coordinator for the American Birding Association, who came up with the idea for a ghost crab count. “Ghost crabs are conspicuous and easy to count.”

Wheelan modeled his project after an ongoing Gulf Coast bird count organized by the Audubon Society and Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Since early May, birders have submitted some 150,000 observations from Gulf states. That data will be invaluable to scientists trying to quantify the oil’s impacts, especially in areas where precise population counts didn’t previously exist.

University of Florida zoologist Sea McKeon designed the ghost crab counting methodology, which is described on Wheelan’s blog, along with instructions for submitting data. It involves measuring distances between tideline crab burrows at a specific time and place each day for as long as possible, and requires little more than a measuring tape, notebook and pen, GPS reading and some sunscreen.

Now, CNN is talking about BP preventing many opportunities for volunteers and organizations that are qualified to rescue the animals, marine wildlife and birds in the Gulf of Mexico from being involved. That’s true, unfortunately.

The BP incident command and the marine response corporation contractor continues to insist that only one group serve the rescue efforts.

The story segment is called the “Dragonfly Team.” But, there are many other stories of the denial from the government and BP incident groups of any approval for participation in the rescue efforts for animals and birds in the Gulf of Mexico spill areas. It is insane and obviously the one or two facilities they do have in operation are inadequate for the numbers of animals, marine animals, sea wildlife and birds affected by the oil and the toxic dispersants.

These people in command decision-making positions are making as much or more of the damage than the actual spill has made by denying multiple efforts that could help even by those qualified to be of help and in denying multitudes of products and systems from being utilized that could also help mitigate the damage.

– cricketdiane

And, the same problems with all that on Day 65 are the same as they were three weeks ago and two months ago and everywhere in between – now across several states instead of just one.

***

This one is really interesting – our Republican government of the last thirty years at work – and there’s no telling what else they did – but we will be finding out for a long, long, long time yet . . .

EPA Reverses Controversial ‘Human Guinea Pig’ Rule

Under proposed changes to federal research ethics standards, the Environmental Protection Agency will no longer accept studies that use people as guinea pigs in chemical tests.

In 2006, under chemical-industry pressure, and over arguments that the studies were scientifically and ethically bankrupt, the EPA declared such data acceptable. On June 16, the EPA reversed its decision.

“What we were really concerned about is toxicity studies, where they’re trying to do a study on humans to determine the dose response of a chemical,” said Jennifer Sass, a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, a liberal nonprofit. “If the EPA stops accepting them, there’s no motivation for companies to conduct them.”

Almost every standard code of medical ethics — including the Nuremberg Code, written in response to Nazi doctors’ nightmare studies — forbid human tests of drugs or chemicals that may cause harm, but can provide no direct benefit.

The chemical industry, however, has long argued that the EPA should accept data from tests in which healthy volunteers are paid for exposing themselves to pesticides and other known toxins. The industry says such data provide a more accurate picture of chemical effects than animal studies.

Critics say the resulting science is worthless, with companies running tests on small, non-representative groups of people, such as healthy young men, in order to create a false impression of safety. More importantly, the tests put people at potentially grave physical risk, with no benefit but a cash payment.

“These pesticides are intentionally designed to be toxic. Their whole purpose is to kill insects and invasive plants,” wrote senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and representative Henry Waxman (D-CA) in a 2005 report (.pdf) on the industry’s tests. “Yet in the experiments, test subjects swallowed insecticide tablets, sat in chambers with pesticide vapors, had pesticides applied to their skin, had pesticides shot into their eyes and noses, and were even exposed in their homes for six months at a time.”

Continued Waxman and Boxer: “The subjects were not told of the dangers of exposure to the pesticides. Sometimes, they weren’t even told the substances being tested were pesticides. They were misled into believing that they were participating in ‘drug’ trials, not pesticide experiments.”

Nevertheless, the Bush-era EPA — led by Stephen Johnson, a former tobacco-industry scientist — said they’d accept data from those studies. The NRDC, along with liberal nonprofits Pesticide Action Network and Earthjustice, filed suit in federal court.

Proposed rule changes announced by the EPA on June 16are the result of negotiations that accompanied the legal battle. They extend protections from the Common Rule (a widely accepted set of medical ethics that forbid intentional-dosing studies that have no benefit) to all people involved in EPA-accepted studies. Extra protections are given to children and pregnant women.

“EPA expects its tougher new rules will decrease the number of systemic intentional dosing toxicity studies conducted for pesticides,” reads the EPA website. “We expect the number of systemic toxicity studies to drop to as few as zero or one per year.”

The rules will be opened to public comment in January of 2011, and will need court approval to finally become law.

The American Chemistry Council, the major chemical industry trade group and an advocate of expanded human testing, did not respond to requests for comment.

According to Sass, Some data on human exposures to chemicals may still be used. Reports from accidental poisonings, worker exposures and other unintentional dosing exist, and “EPA could incorporate a lot of that unfortunate, real-world data,” she said.

“Pesticide companies should not be allowed to take advantage of vulnerable populations by enticing people to serve as human laboratory rats,” said Pesticide Action Network senior scientist Margaret Reeves in a press release.

“These pesticides are intentionally designed to be toxic. Their whole purpose is to kill insects and invasive plants,” wrote senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and representative Henry Waxman (D-CA) in a 2005 report (.pdf) on the industry’s tests. “Yet in the experiments, test subjects swallowed insecticide tablets, sat in chambers with pesticide vapors, had pesticides applied to their skin, had pesticides shot into their eyes and noses, and were even exposed in their homes for six months at a time.”

Continued Waxman and Boxer: “The subjects were not told of the dangers of exposure to the pesticides. Sometimes, they weren’t even told the substances being tested were pesticides. They were misled into believing that they were participating in ‘drug’ trials, not pesticide experiments.”

Almost every standard code of medical ethics — including the Nuremberg Code, written in response to Nazi doctors’ nightmare studies — forbid human tests of drugs or chemicals that may cause harm, but can provide no direct benefit.

The chemical industry, however, has long argued that the EPA should accept data from tests in which healthy volunteers are paid for exposing themselves to pesticides and other known toxins. The industry says such data provide a more accurate picture of chemical effects than animal studies.

Under proposed changes to federal research ethics standards, the Environmental Protection Agency will no longer accept studies that use people as guinea pigs in chemical tests.

In 2006, under chemical-industry pressure, and over arguments that the studies were scientifically and ethically bankrupt, the EPA declared such data acceptable. On June 16, the EPA reversed its decision.

***

My Note –

Now, they will contest the ruling and it might be reinstated along with the fact that nothing has made it illegal to do these studies in the United States even today. It is like living in Nazi Germany. Why did they remake the United States to be that way? No wonder some of my friends who participated in those studies got so sick. It may have been pesticides they were given instead of drugs for some insomnia study or schitzophrenia study drug. Damn those people who allowed this to be done to America’s citizens, especially the poor, the disabled, the mentally ill and the elderly – and apparently also, they did the tests on pregnant women and children as well. In the United States. In this modern time. In this day and age of knowing the real long-term damages and suffering they subjected these people to experience for their moments every day the rest of their lives. How can anyone be that cruel for no reason but to make a profit – when they are already making profits well over 300% as it is?

This is and has been a nightmare throughout the Republican years running of this country. What does it take to stop the kind of thinking that would engage in these kinds of choices to hurt people in such malicious and sadistic ways as corporate decisions to serve corporate interests of no other purpose? It is pathological, anti-social and psychotic. Why did the Republicans let them do that?

– cricketdiane

***

HMMMMMMM>

wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong – they have all the money, I guess that means they can do any damn thing they want to anybody.

And people support the Republicans and their twisted party all this time knowing they were doing stuff like this? How could they? Why would people do that?

Deputy Baldwin County Coroner Rod Steade Sr. said the boat’s crew members had heard the captain talk about the oil situation in the Gulf and how it was affecting those who made a living from the Gulf.

“They were his regular deck hands,” Steade said.

Baldwin County Coroner Stan Vinson said the captain has been identified as William Allen Kruse, 55, of Foley.

Vinson said Kruse’s boat had been hired by BP “as a vessel of opportunity” to work the oil spill that is layering Alabama’s and other beaches with crude oil.

Kruse and his crew were on the boat at the Gulf Shores Yacht Club and Marina at Fort Morgan about two miles east of Fort Morgan shortly before 7 a.m. today, Steade said.

“His deck hands had disembarked from the boat and they were walking up to the wharf getting ready to fuel and load it up and they heard a pop and he never showed up,” Steade said in a telephone interview.

Vinson said deck hands said Kruse planned to move the boat to a fueling station but the boat never arrived.

“They went back to the boat and checked on the captain and he was slumped over on the flying bridge,” Steade said.

BP spokeswoman Dawn Patience reacted to the death.

“I have to say my heart goes out to the family and we have sincere sympathy for the family,” she said. “We have sent out grief counselors this morning to speak with members of the vessel of opportunity community.”

She said BP is cooperating with authorities.

The charter boat, named The Rookie, was between 45 feet and 55 feet in length, Steade said.

“They were getting ready to go to work,” Vinson said. “They only knew that he was despondent about the oil situation, the oil being out there. He did get a job with BP as a vessel of opportunity.”

Oil has been gushing from a BP-operated well about a mile deep south of Louisiana for nearly two months.

Vinson said an autopsy will be performed. Kruse’s body was taken to the Department of Forensic Science for the autopsy, Vinson said.

Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen said BP had to halt operations after an underwater robot bumped into the venting system. This accident sent gas up through the vent system which prevents ice from forming on the cap by sending warm water down the containment system to the capped pipe.

Currently crews are checking to see if ice-like crystals have formed before replacing the cap. The cap was removed at 9:45 AM Eastern Time; it has yet to be put back.

Before this issue, the LMPR Containment Cap operation had successfully collected 700,000 gallons of oil in the past 24 hours. This number still well short of the estimated amount of oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico (1,050,000 to 4,200,000 gallons per day).

Bumbling Idiots

It seems one of the ROV’s ran into a vent and BP has had to remove the cap that was containing some of the oil.

The result is that tens of thousands of gallons of more oil is leaking into the Gulf again.

Crews are working to put the cap back on.

This is but one example of the kind of things we will continue to face over the next two months since they can’t shut off the well and must opt only for containment.

We’ve already seen where mechanical failures, fires and weather have all caused a stoppage or lessening of the amount of oil recovered. Just wait to they have to completely shut down all recovery for an extended period due to tropical weather or a hurricane.

With the riser cut of and the leak at its highest rate, the worst of the spill may truly be yet to come.

Oil spill: Health advisory for Escambia beaches

The Escambia County Health Department has issued a health advisory for parts of Pensacola Beach.

Escambia County officials announced at 12:20 p.m. that the Gulf waters from the Park West (Fort Pickens Gate) recreation area through Walkover 23 (just west of Portofino) are closed to all swimming and wading until further notice.

Double red flags have been posted. At the present time, swimming and wading is still allowed in the Gulf east of Walkover 23.

The sound side is still safe for swimming and the Gulf front beaches, above the mean high water line (above the contaminated areas), are still open for sunbathing and other typical beach activities.

The Escambia County Health Department offered the following tips for avoiding negative health impacts from an oiled shoreline:

· Avoid entering areas where oil can be seen (no wading, swimming or entering the water).

· Do not swim or ski in areas affected by the oil spill, and if traveling through the area by boat take precautions when hoisting the boat anchor. If oil makes contact with the skin, wash it off with grease-cutting liquid dishwashing detergent and water.

· Do not fish in oil spill-affected waters.

· Do not harvest or eat dead fish, fish with oily residue, or fish that have a petroleum odor.

· Avoid boating through oil slicks or sheens.

· Young children, pregnant women, people with compromised immune systems, and individuals with underlying respiratory conditions should avoid the area.

· Prevent pets from entering oil-contaminated areas.

· Those near Florida’s Gulf Coast may detect an odor because of the oil spill. Some people are more sensitive to these odors and may experience nasal irritation and feelings of nausea. In combination with seasonal allergies, such as sensitivity to pollen, or pre-existing respiratory conditions such as asthma, some people may experience more severe symptoms.

· Individuals experiencing respiratory symptoms that are aggravated by the odors from the oil spill should consider:

— If symptoms do not improve, contact a primary care physician or other health care professional for medical advice.

— Individuals who have pre-existing medical conditions such as asthma or other respiratory illnesses should contact their physician if feeling symptomatic.

The health department is posting signs at the affected area; a copy of the sign is attached. Residents can participate in activities that are above the high tide line. If they experience respiratory problems, they should leave the area and contact a physician, as they deem necessary.

The health department will continue to work with the Emergency Operations Center, and will notify the public, through the media and its website (www.EscambiaHealth.com), when the health advisory is no longer in effect.

WLOX.COM will stream special oil spill report at 7PM

Posted: Jun 23, 2010 4:14 PM GDT

Wednesday, June 23, 2010 11:14 AM EST

Updated: Jun 23, 2010 8:30 PM GDT

By WLOX Staff

BILOXI, MS (WLOX) – The Gulf oil spill has impacted every central gulf state. Alabama is no different. In fact, plenty of oil has washed up on the beaches of Gulf Shores and Orange beach in recent weeks. So far, Mississippi beaches have been spared for the most part. Because of that, the Raycom News Network will air a one hour special report tonight, focusing on the spill’s impact on the Alabama coast. WLOX is part of the Raycom News network.

Many Mississippians have traveled to or are very familiar with the Alabama coast. The two state’s interests are tied together. So, we will be airing the special report on WLOX.COM beginning at 7pm tonight. Just click on the link at the top of the home page to watch this important one hour special. You will come away with more knowledge about the devastating effects of this spill on every state in the region.

In addition, newsmakers, including the governor of Alabama will be interviewed. And you will have a chance to post questions on-line for possible answers. Again, click on WLOX.COM at 7pm tonight to watch the live streamed special report.

Parrottheads flock to get tickets to Buffett benefit concert

BILOXI, MS (WLOX) – Parrottheads lined up at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum Wednesday to get their hands on tickets to Jimmy Buffett’s Gulf Coast benefit concert. The Coast native is organizing a free concert July 1, in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Buffett’s website says the concert is to demonstrate support for the people, businesses and culture of the Gulf Coast, as oil continues to spew off-shore. A list of country music stars will join him, including Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown Band, Sonny Landreth, Jesse Winchester and Allen Toussaint.

A souvenir T-shirt is being designed for the event. It’ll be available online and at the show. Although the concert is free, tickets are required. You can get them at Ticketmaster or CMT.com. If you can’t make it in person, you can watch the concert live on CMT and then repeated over the Fourth of July weekend.

Oil soaks miles of Pensacola Beach

By Rich Phillips,

June 23, 2010 4:01 p.m. EDT

More than two months after the Deepwater Horizon disaster, Pensacola awoke Wednesday to the largest onslaught of black crude on Florida’s coast, as more than nine miles of white shoreline and beaches were soaked with syrupy oil.

A health advisory has been issued by Escambia County for parts of Pensacola Beach and Fort Pickens.

WASHINGTON — The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday subpoenaed BP claims documents, after its chairman said the company has not complied with requests to provide information on its payments.

The committee’s voice vote showed bipartisan agreement for Chairman John Conyers’ efforts to release claims information to the public.

The committee also voted, 16-11, to approve a bill eliminating limits on the amount of money that vessel owners had to pay for deaths and injuries. The bill would allow family members to collect payments for non-monetary damages such as pain and suffering.

Introduced by Conyers, D-Mich., the bill was sent to the full House, where it will be considered along with other legislation resulting from the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

(etc.)

They also would repeal a law limiting that limits a vessel owner’s liability death and injury to the value of a vessel and its cargo. Rig owner Transocean Ltd. has sought to use the law to limit its liability to the discounted salvage value of the rig, estimated at $27 million.

The oil spillcam is linked to multiple cameras in place by BP and linked by the U.S. House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. It may lock up while you are viewing because of the hundreds of thousands of people viewing the video. The best advice is to be patient. It will eventually finish buffering and you’ll see the leak in real time. BP released the video link following a demand from Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) who is chairman of the committee.

Louisiana price gouging laws are now in effect. If you suspect price gouging, contact the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office at 800-351-4889 or visit www.agbuddycaldwell.com and click “Emergency Preparedness.”

To discuss spill related damage claims, call 1-800-440-0858. For those who have already pursued the BP claims process and are not satisfied with BP’s resolution, can call the Coast Guard at 1-800-280-7118. More information about what types of damages are eligible for compensation under the Oil Pollution Act as well as guidance on procedures to seek that compensation can be found here .

SCHRIEVER, La. (CNS) — Fishing, swimming and interacting at all with the water off the coast of Louisiana is off-limits to residents, and their livelihoods and quality of life are suffering, said the pastor of Our Lady of the Isle Parish in Grand Isle.

“They can’t fish; they can’t swim; they can’t interact with the water; they can’t live off the food from the water,” Father Mike Tran told the Bayou Catholic, newspaper of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux. “This oil spill has had a traumatic impact on the people of the island.”

Grand Isle is a barrier island at the mouth of Barataria Bay where it meets the Gulf. The island is connected to the mainland of Louisiana by a causeway.

“There are no more tourists; basically everything is shut down. We can’t even enjoy the fresh air when we go outdoors because of the smell of the oil that is continually washing up on the beach,” the priest said. “And now, with the beginning of hurricane season, the stress levels of the residents have risen even more.”

Father Tran also reported that the number of people attending Mass at the Grand Isle church has decreased on weekends and collections are down by approximately $1,000 a week so far. He said he is worried about the future of the parish.

Grand Isle residents and their counterparts across the Houma-Thibodaux Diocese and the rest of the Gulf Coast were waiting anxiously for word that BP has been able to contain the oil flowing into the Gulf of Mexico from the company’s blown-out drilling rig called Deepwater Horizon.

Since the April 20 explosion and fire that killed 11 workers on the rig, millions of gallons of oil have been pouring into the Gulf each day; and containment efforts by BP to date have been only partially successful.

There is much uncertainty about the long-term impact of the man-made environmental disaster, which is being called this country’s worst, on the people of south Louisiana who live and make their living on the water.

Father Thomas Kuriakose, pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Point-aux-Chenes, said a lot of his parishioners are fishermen and although their future livelihood is being threatened, currently many of them were working for BP to help in some way with the cleanup of the spill.

“At this time, most of the people here don’t need much financial assistance, but I have spoken to a lot of people who are depressed about the uncertainty of what the future holds for them and for the seafood industry in this area,” said Father Kuriakose.

He said he has noticed an increase in the number of people coming to Mass at his church since the accident and that for now parish collections remain steady.

“This is a terrible tragedy that is not only affecting the people along the coast of Louisiana, and several other states, but also the land and wildlife, as well,” said the priest.

He said he has had two meetings with Michel Claudet, president of Terrebonne Parish, a civil entity, and other church members to discuss the tragedy and how it is affecting local residents.

Counseling, prayer services and pastor visits are some of the ways St. Charles Borromeo Parish is helping the victims of the spill.

At Our Lady of the Isle, parish staff has been busy trying to identify those families truly in need and to offer any assistance they can.

Prayer services were being held once a week for all islanders to give them a chance to pray, socialize and express any fears or concerns they may have. Father Tran also is making himself available to anyone who needs to talk about the situation.

Kathryn Anderson, associate director for parish social ministry at Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, said the agency has made case workers available to residents.

She also noted that from the beginning, Matthew 25 disaster response teams have been present in their communities.

“Matthew 25 volunteers are used to getting their hands dirty right after a disaster. When we have a hurricane they respond quickly by serving meals or helping with the cleanup,” she told the Bayou Catholic. “They haven’t had that opportunity in this situation because the cleanup work is being performed by contract labor or wildlife specialists.

“However, that may change as we continue with the recovery efforts,” said Anderson.

“Most of the people who come to us are visibly upset, but by the time they leave, they feel better,” said Maryal Mewherter, a case worker at the Grand Isle Community Center. “Sometimes I get a hug just for giving them one $100 food voucher.”

2theadvocate.com

Louisiana’s annual exposure — if every sales dollar from every business in coastal parishes were yanked — is $148 billion, according to Dun & Bradstreet. Comparable totals are $274 billion for Florida, $64.5 billion for Alabama and $45.9 billion for Mississippi.

On the fishing front, D&B estimates the size of Louisiana’s dockside catch at $177.2 million a year, not far from the state’s dockside estimate of $260 million. Pastro said D&B’s database of 167 million firms doesn’t include some small sole proprietors.

But when 1,034 Louisiana fishing firms in its database are joined by boating and marine service businesses, the number of firms top 5,000, employees approach 20,000 and annual sales exceed $700 million, D&B’s report said.

Gov. Bobby Jindal, using estimates from the Louisiana Department of Economic Development, has said total sales tied to commercial marine fishing in the state are $2.3 billion. Because of that stake, Jindal asked President Barack Obama last week for support in funding a $457 million Louisiana seafood certification program for the next two decades to counter concerns about petroleum in the Gulf environment.

I think the only real hurricane preparedness in this case is going to be leaving the entire Gulf Coast area to the crude oil and toxic dispersants mixed with crude oil that the oil industry has covered the ocean and the coast with – people need to be leaving there now while they can and before they are too sick or too poor to leave.